geissler

My wife and I are seriously considering moving for 6 months to a year to someplace in the Caribbean. We have three children (seven, four and two) so we want to go somewhere that is safe and family friendly. Between the two of us we can get by in French, but we have very little Spanish.

I know others on this forum have asked similar questions, but from what I have read it is mostly regarding single people or retirees.

My biggest concern is we need someplace that is relatively safe, has a welcoming native/expat population and has lots of things for a young family to do/experience. This could include:

• natural attractions such as beaches, reefs, snorkeling, surfing, hiking etc.
• cultural attractions like festivals, local music, outdoor spaces, local markets, etc.

We also want someplace where nobody will really be worried about a family of expats staying for awhile. We are not interested in becoming citizens, we just want to live.

We have been thinking about a couple different places and would appreciate any of your insights/experiences about these places and their appropriateness to our situation:

• Dominican Republic – Mostly Spanish, a little more expensive, friendly to Expats.
• Belize – English speaking, small country, politically stable, lower cost of living, largely undiscovered by tourists.
• Costa Rica – Spanish, a little more expensive, larger urban areas are inland, more and more American Tourists
• Trinidad & Tobago – English speaking, some say it is safe while others suggest it is safe only during the day, a little more expensive.

We believe that some other places are too expensive or have restrictions in some ways that would prevent us from relocating, such as Bermuda, Bahamas, and St. Thomas.

Of course we haven’t been exhaustive and we are interested in hearing about other places too. Have any other young families done something similar?

Thanks for your help.

pgtips

Just cross Trinidad and Tobago off your list for now. Way too much violent crime, especially as you are travelling with your kids.

What about somewhere like ST Martin, seems relatively safe and islanders are pretty friendly. Nice international community already there.

geissler

Hi PGTIPS,

Have you lived in St. Martin? What do you think about Panama?

Tx

Pammy

OK I will probably get lots of hate mail BUT WHY would you even consider CENTRAL AMERICA?!

When someone says Central America all I can think of is kidnapping, unstable govts, buying your house and having it taken from you when all hell breaks loose!

Please no-one even try to convince me otherwise

geissler

Hi Pammy,

Finding good unbiased information is why I am asking. There are plenty of websites that are trumpeting how great various countries are -- and the bulk of these sites are selling real estate, consulting services, etc.

I have also been in contact with some acquaintances and former students in some countries and they are very proud of their homeland and tend not to speak too harshly (or they honestly don't know -- "a frog in boiling water").

So if not Central America, then where?

Even posing the idea of moving to a '3rd' world country means we understand there are risks to person and property. We are trying to minimize and mitigate those risks by asking questions of people who appear to be knowledgeable (although still may have their own biases, too).

If you were in our situation, where would you recommend?

Cheers,

Pammy

Depends what you are hoping/looking for exactly and of course your line of work, I am in Canada at the moment and have been researching and visiting the Carib for my retirement place, Turks & Caicos comes highly recommended and I plan to visit soon, do some searching about there as anything I can tell you is just what I have learned via the computer and people here, seems very safe, stable, tax free, cheap houses and accomodations via the local e-news online, cost of living is not that high contrary to what some may say, I got prices from the local IGA and it wasn't much different from here(except beer!)english speaking, nice weather, there are some postings here that I started you can have a look at, lots of advice from expats, good luck!

Pam

yeahmen

Belize is not that of a bad idea. Maybe look into San Pedro or Placencia in Belize. You will definetly want to stay out of the city but these places ( San Pedro or Placencia ) are great to live and visit. THe good part is that your money will go far, the exchange rate is 1 US for 2 Belize. So a loaf of bread is about 1.75 Belize dollars a soft drink about $1.50 Belize, an egg about .25 cents Belize.

In addition, there is great fishing and snorkling.

meauxna

My family did it when my sister and I were kids; I think it's a great idea.
6 months will be very short though..

One that came to mind quickly: Bay Islands Honduras. Another primarily English speaking area, quite different from the mainland 9which has its safe, and less safe parts).

I've spent considerable time in Costa Rica, but I'm American/Canadian, so maybe I didn't mind what you will.

So why even post your uninformed, unchangeable opinion? If you have not been there, and your opinion is emotional and irrational (not to mention inapplicable since OP will not be buying a house) and you are not willing to have your mind changed...

I did live a couple of years in Belize and while I loved it very much, there isn't a lot to *do* every day. The most stimulating time I had there was while traveling. I also wonder about the costs; I confess I haven't looked lately, but it's not necessarily an inexpensive place to stay. I'd recommend San Pedro also (tho that is not where I lived!).


geissler, sounds like a great adventure! I think a big part of narrowing your decision is figuring out how much 'civilization' you need around you. Also keep in mind that someone making a permanent move is going to have different criteria than a temporary hop like your own. Keep us posted!

Pammy

So why even post your uninformed, unchangeable opinion? If you have not been there, and your opinion is emotional and irrational (not to mention inapplicable since OP will not be buying a house) and you are not willing to have your mind changed...



Em because its a forum, where people are asked for their opinions, no

Trust me, I know people who spent some time working there that it is a very unstable place to be, I did not even consider it on my list.

dfjordan

Like others who have commented, I really think Pammy should keep quiet if she can´t give an opinion that´s based on fact. It really shows ignorance and the type that Brits are known for. I spent 9 months working in Costa Rica and although I didn´t go much for the climate, the way of life is very peaceful, more so than can be said for " civilised " places like Europe, USA .

Pammy

OK, if it was so good for you why did you leave?

Besides you are offering no real advice to the poster just narking at me

Tothe family considering a Carib location-

If you consider Costa Rica here is a good website for you

www.therealcostarica.com

dfjordan

Geissler doesn't say whether he intends to work or just take 6 months vacation? Saying that you are looking for somewhere with lots of things for the kids to do like you mention the beach etc, is something that I found kids get bored with very quickly when it´s on their doorstep. The Caribbean is not necessarily the paradise that the tourist brochures come up with. I´ve lived and worked in Bermuda and as you say, it´s extremely expensive and if you want to work then forget it if it´s for a short period. The Dominican Republic, if you ignore Punta Cana, is a poor, badly run country, and if you want to be close to a beach, then you will have to be a long long way away from any kind of town. As another member said, forget Trinidad as even back in the 70´s they had a major problem with anti white feelings as does Jamaica. Barbados is also just for short vacations. Costa Rica is not really the Caribbean as you see it but for 6 months it could keep you happy. It´s not expensive, and there is no anti foreigner sentiment.It´s difficult to help you without knowing if you are just talking about a long vacation or what is the reason you want to go there? You should also bear in mind the tropical climate when choosing your 6 month stay

dfjordan

The reason why I left was very simple- my employer at that time was moving me from country to country every 6 -9 months . This gave me a good chance to get to know many places. I also loved living in Bermuda, Africa, and parts of Europe, but now I´m living in Chile, where I´ve been for the last 11 years, and this time have no intention of leaving as I´m retired now and I chose this place has more advantages than anywhere else that I´ve ever been

meauxna

Pammy, that's like someone saying.. "Canada is full of moose and bears, they're all over the place. I know someone who worked north of Edmonton and the whole place is a freakish wilderness!"

I happen to personally know that Halifax is quite different from Vancouver, which are both different from Toronto, which are different again from Calgary. In the US, different states have widely different laws and customs; you can't generalize about the US either.

"Central America" consists of many different countries with different problems and benefits; you can't just generalize like that. That is what we're saying, not just narking on you.
In addition, a few of us *have* lived there, and take exception with your personally unsupported statement. That's all we're pointing out.

millonarios

As someone who is also from Scotland the real hilarity of this post will be lost on most of you! Choosing Scotland over Central America based on the fact "there are hunners of mad bams trying to kidnap you" is very funny.

I have been reading a few posters' views on living in Belize as I will be moving there soon. I wonder if anyone else has anything more to add?

In reply to the OP, I think if you and your wife have managed to pick up french then living in a country where both English and Spanish are spoken to an extent (Like a few countries in central america/carribean) then you will be equipped to pick up Spanish in a relatively short time. Speaking from my own experience.